Father-son duo, Chance and David Wilson, to perform with Fiddlemania

By CARIE CANTERBURY canterburyc@ cañoncitydailyrecord.com

Posted:
12/12/2012 12:33:27 AM MST

Chance Wilson, 10, and his father, David Wilson, perform a song on their fiddles. The duo is part of 'Fiddlemania' that will perform at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cañon City Public Library. (Carie Canterbury/Daily Record)

Chance Wilson never plays second fiddle in his dad's life because their favorite activity is something they enjoy doing together.

Chance, 10, and his father, David Wilson, have taken fiddle lessons together for about three and a half years, an activity that not only offers them an opportunity to spend quality time together, but it's also a family tradition.

"My grandpa played the fiddle for years," Wilson said. "He never was a very good teacher - he didn't have much patience to teach any of us kids."

But Wilson's mother offered to pay for Chance to take fiddle lessons from local instructor Liz Harkins.

"We went to see Liz, and we went to one lesson and after we left that lesson I told Chance I would like to play the fiddle with him," he said. "I played my grandpa's fiddle for a long time."

Chance, a fourth grader at Washington Elementary School, has played his fiddle in two talent shows, winning first place in one of the shows, and he has won second and third place in the former Fiddlers on the Arkansas event. Wilson also won third place in his division of the event. The duo performs for their church, Greydene Independent Baptist Church.

"This is something we can do together now and when I'm 80," Wilson said. "He can bring the kids over to the house for the holidays and we can sit down and play some music. It's something that will last."

Wilson played the piano when he was younger and he played the guitar for a while, but he hadn't played the fiddle until he and his son began learning together.

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Harkins teaches her students the Suzuki Method, which was developed to teach young children to learn by watching, listening and repeating.

"When David came to me I thought it was just awesome because I heard he wanted to do something that was quality with his son," Harkins said. "I thought that was so impressive and I wanted to make sure that would happen for them."

Harkins has taught fiddle lessons for about 10 years. She learned the Suzuki Method when she was a foreign exchange student in Japan, in the same town as Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. She attended the Suzuki Talent School and learned the Suzuki Method and philosophy from Dr. Suzuki.

Harkins' children, Eischen, 19, and Grady, 17, have earned several fiddling awards. Eischen is a four-time state champion, a two-time first place national junior champion and a national young adult champion.

Grady is a junior national champion and a two-time state fiddling champion. They also have won trophies in Branson and Kentucky.

It may be too soon to tell if the Wilsons eventually will become state or national fiddling champions, but for now, they are having fun learning, practicing and performing.

"I was so impressed with them," Harkins said. "They give a hundred percent every week and I'm so pleased when I hear they want to play for church."

The father and son fiddlers practice their music every night, and while Chance's mother, Shelli Wilson, doesn't play the fiddle, she does sing a little now and then with the guys.

The Wilsons are a part of "Fiddlemania" - a fiddling group comprised of Harkins' students - that will perform at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cañon City Public Library. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. In addition to several musical numbers, Harkins will share the history of fiddling and also perform with the group.

If You Go

What: Fiddlemania presentation, a gift to the community from the Cañon City Public Library, sponsored by the Ladies and Gents of the Library.

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Cañon City Public Library, 516 Macon Ave.

Refreshments will be provided. Admission is free, but nonperishable food items will be accepted for local food pantries.